Marin Cilic Wins US Open While Kei Nishikori Wins Sponsorship Race

Croatia’s Marin Cilic has triumphed at Flushing Meadows in a surprise US Open win. With thunderous serves and a cannon for a backhand, Cilic brushed aside Kei Nishikori, the first man from Asia to reach a Slam final. Throughout the fortnight, Cilic has displayed remarkable poise and a dramatically improved forehand that few opponents have had answers for. In the last three rounds he won all nine of his sets against Tomas Berdych, Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori.

For such an utterly dominant display of tennis, Cilic will take home $3 million in addition to the trophy. But his sudden victory is unlikely to translate into a windfall off the court--unless he can make a habit of winning.

The 25-year-old hails from a small market in Croatia, at a time when Europe is in the grips of economic stagnancy. To say Cilic was off the radar is an understatement. He didn’t even compete in last year’s Open. He was suspended from the tour for testing positive for a banned substance. Though the sentence from his doping suspension from last year was reduced--Cilic argued the banned substance came from glucose pills he took over the counter--his brush with controversy may make marketers skittish.

Winning more Slams and playing at this lofty level consistently will put aside any doubts about Cilic’s marketability. Brandrapport Managing Director Nigel Currie says of winning a Slam title, “It’s a vital stepping stone to greater riches.” Athletes who win surprise Slams make great stories, but sponsors want to know that their athlete will be in the mix the next time a big tournament commences. Novak Djokovic offers a great example of the possibilities for an athlete from a small market to gain worldwide appeal. His consistency in the later rounds of tennis’ biggest tournaments over the years, combined with a sterling 2011 season that saw him capture three Slams, has made him a global icon, with the sponsorship portfolio to match. Of course, brilliance like Djokovic’s is hard to emulate.

If Kei Nishikori had won, he would have certainly enjoyed a substantial boost to his bottom line, much like Li Na did after her watershed win at Roland Garros in 2011. Even before Nishikori reached a Slam semifinal, he was one of the sport’s top earners, boasting one of tennis’ most impressive sponsorship portfolios. That includes deals with Uniqlo, Wilson, Adidas, Delta Airlines, Weider and Tag Heuer, among others.

As one of Japan’s premier athletes in a truly global sport, Nishikori is a sponsor's dream. Though his home country is still recovering from its decade of deflationary woes, it remains one of the world’s most populous countries, with a sizable middle- and upper-class population that fits most of the target demos for the sport’s marketers. It remains to be seen though if Nishikori’s success will create significant waves for the sport in China and India, the two true growth markets in that region, and two countries tennis insiders and executives have long eyed for the sport’s future.

Despite his setback in the final, Nishikori has turned around an injury-plagued season and proven that he has the durability to play back-to-back five-set matches and win. Now the true test comes for both victor and loser; can they back up their surprising runs and show that they can play with Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray week in and week out? If they do, they’ll have more hardware and sponsorships to show for it.